Tolerate: to allow;exist or occur without interference.
Intolerance: unable or indisposed to tolerate; unwillingness to recognise and respect

I have always considered myself quite a nice person. I like food of all shapes, flavours and colours. From every country and continent. I don’t discriminate, I am an equal opportunity eater. It’s only the doctors who say I’m intolerant. And certain foods who refuse to tolerate me. They certainly refuse to recognise and respect my right to eat them without major physical discomfort and distress.

Gluten and lactose are not my friends.

Despite the negative attitudes surrounding me from many of those I love best, (cakes, ice cream, hot toast) I decided to become a chef. Not always easy when you live in a bread and milk filled world. I like to think that this has helped me become a better person as I embrace my differences and refuse to let the gluten get me down. I believe InTolerance. I am the InTolerant Chef.

Food should not be about what you can’t eat, but what you can and what you enjoy eating. This blog is about my journey of cooking and eating and discovery. It’s not a definitive guide to allergy awareness nor do my intolerances make me an expert. Your body is your responsibility, not mine. I only know what works for me.

I can tell you this..... No glutens were harmed in the making of this website.

May 17, 2012

Dark Chocolate Sorbet

I had a lovely Mothers Day last weekend

My family made me breakfast in bed- with home made Hollandaise on my perfectly poached eggs; we went to yum cha for lunch, watched a movie, worked in the veggie patch, had one of my favourite dinners, and of course there were presents!

Look at the load of lovely goodies I received!

A delicious Saffron Syrup, some crystallised violets, a jar of very good quality saffron, 2 dozen plump vanilla pods, and the latest Donna Hay cookbook.

Totally blessed!

While nibbling away at my breakfast, I was flicking through the cookbook and one recipe in particular caught my eye: Chocolate Sorbet.... I knew it was meant to be.

I love Donna Hays fresh and lovely approach to food. Her recipes are delights that have such a universal appeal and can be made easily by home cooks. I own all her cookbooks, as much for the styling ideas as well as the food, and her magazine is one I squeal over every time I find it in my letterbox.

I have had a good chocolate sorbet before, but hadn't been able to recreate it in my own kitchen. I was really overthinking it. No dairy disasters, no eggwhite fluffiness, no glucose viscosity- just 4 simple ingredients. That's it. Would it have the rich mouth feel I was after without fats, would it be gritty and icy or smooth and soft, would it really taste like chocolate? I was about to find out!

Place the sugars and water in a saucepan on high heat, stir until dissolved, and bring to a boil

Whisk in the cocoa powder and reduce heat to medium

Leave on a high simmer for 14- 17 minutes, until the mixture is thick and syrupy and hits 96*C on a thermometer

Let it cool

Process mixture in an ice cream churner, then freeze until firmed up and ready to serve. Alternatively, place cooled mixture in a shallow dish in the freezer, stirring it vigorously about every half hour or so until ready

.

Scoop out into delicious dollops of dark delight

The sorbet was exactly what I had been trying for- smooth and very, very chocolatey. I really didn't think I could have achieved that result with just cocoa alone, and I would certainly have thought that I'd need an amount of fat to achieve such full bodied richness. Boy, was I glad to be wrong.
The sorbet scooped very well and also held it's shape nicely, having a nice thick syrup is really the key here. If you didn't let it reduce far enough I don't think it would have enough viscosity to maintain it's structural integrity once frozen, or achieve such small, smooth crystals.

I'm so happy to have found this recipe, it's perfect for InTolerances and vegetarian/vegans, and trust me, so very, very delicious!

So Dear Readers, how did you celebrate Mother's Day and spoil your Mother?

When I saw the photo I thought you must have been given vanilla beans. And they look fat and juicy too - what a great gift. And yes, Donna Hay is wonderful. I cook her recipes all the time but I wasn't given her cookbook for Mothers Day - yes, you are blessed xx

Ha aren't you funny. saffron syrup, saffron, and vanilla..... oh if only all family would respect a cooks needs in such a way ( by the way I have received that card , how funny is that?). When I discovered this chocolate sorbet recipe I was just as surprised..... yes awesome, and it doesnt matter if it is dutch process or just cocoa

Oooh, you scored well - so many gourmet items! Mmm chocolate sorbet looks awesome. I had a great day too, especially as I bought shoes online that I picked myself (always a good way to love your gift!) :)

About Me

The InTolerant Chef is the nom-de-plume of The InTolerant Chef.She lives in Canberra,Australia,with her husband Big J, and 2 daughters, Little j and Middle C. Gluten and Lactose are not her friends. She also has many chemicals who refuse to tolerate her, and insulin finds her hard to resist. Despite all this, the InTolerant Chef is a healthy,happy person who loves cooking for her family and friends.